What’s better, high reps or low? Eating before bed or not? Eat carbs before working out or save them for post-workout? Sprinting or jogging? Blue or green?

What’s Better?

Better for what?…is my typical response. Most people asking this question are asking what choices are better for weight loss.

Now, I’m not going to say those are wrong questions to ask. However, there is a much better way to frame your questions that give you the right answers for your individual situation.

By framing your question in a process-oriented way, you can make mindset, nutrition, and exercise choices that fuel satisfaction, energy, and personal growth. And by side effect – you lose weight.

Weight loss is always the side effect. It is the outcome of our process. And our process is the skills and habits we develop to make our lives better right now. Not in 3 months when you lose… Continue Reading

I’ve noticed a trend (trap) among people struggling to lose weight. And I too have fallen for this faulty thinking.

I always thought: “If I just change this one thing I will be able to finally lose weight and keep it off.”

Carbs are the problem.

Dairy is the problem.

Sweets are the problem.

Too much fat is the problem.

Not exercising enough is the problem.

This is Quick-Fix Thinking

We’re always looking for the quick-fix, and blaming your weight loss struggle on any one single thing is the perfect example of this faulty mindset.

I get it.

It would be amazing if all we had to do was change one single thing and all would be well.

But as you’ve likely experienced, this isn’t the solution. The quick-fix is never the solution.

The quick-fix adds to our frustration. It shatters the small amount of trust we have left in ourselves. Its failures add to our self-doubt and makes us believe our weight loss goal is a hopeless… Continue Reading

Our society tends to put weight loss up on a pedestal. We practically worship it and make everything we do about losing weight and achieving a particular physique.

We plan out the perfect meal plan and the most effective exercise program the world has ever seen and then proclaim that this time is going to be THE time it works.

We plot out how long it’s going to take to lose xx amount of pounds using some crazy 2lb/week weight loss pace. We’re thrilled to “know” that years of bad habits can be wiped out in months of diligent eating and exercise.

Yes, your weight loss program is sexy. It’s flashy and has all the bells and whistles. It attacks fat loss from every direction. There’s no way anything could go wrong.

It’s Time For a Reality Check

Here’s how you know you’re actually on the right track:

Your eating? It’s not going to be perfect. In fact, you will slip up no less than 20 times during … Continue Reading

I see a lot of people get overly focused on the way they look, all while completely neglecting their mindset. The result is rarely what they’re seeking.

It Starts With the Mind

A lot of people write off mindset work. They plan out every calorie and every workout, but don’t give a second thought to retraining how they think. Their thoughts and behaviors don’t align, which results in cognitive dissonance.

Their mental habits never change and so they never change. Any weight they lose is easily gained back because old thoughts continue to push old habits back to the surface.

Most of us already know how to lose weight. But knowing and doing are not the same thing. The doing part – the actual physical habits you need to create a healthy lifestyle, start with mental habits.

I don’t care if you have 10lbs to lose, 20lbs, or 100lbs. It’s going to take a year to make your transformation.

I’m not talking about losing 10lbs. That can happen faster. I’m talking about the mental habits that are essential to your long term success.

Transformation isn’t just about weight loss. It’s about changing who you are both inside and out – physically and mentally. This takes time if you expect to both lose the weight and keep it off forever.

How Long Will It Take to Lose xx Pounds?

Most of us have a very skewed reality for how long it should take to lose a particular amount of weight. It’s understandable.

Most of the success stories we hear about feature people losing large amounts of weight in fairly short amounts of time. People seem to lose 3-5lbs/week for months – dropping 50-100lbs.

I’ve had a lot of people email me the most recent Biggest Loser study where contestants were followed around for 6 years after their final show. Researchers wanted to know if they were able to maintain the extreme weight loss they experienced on the show.

The results were not good.

Many of the contestants gained back 100lbs or more. Some even weigh more now than they did before the show.

The reason? Their metabolic rates crashed due to the low calorie intakes they were on – something many people are experiencing after years of 1200 calorie and below diets.

Calories In vs Calories Out

There are two parts to the energy balance equation:

Energy In – the amount of calories you eat

Energy Out – the amount of energy you expend. This includes many things: exercise, NEAT (the non-exercise movement of your body), BMR (the calories required for the body to function at rest), and TEF (the energy used to process and store the food you